


Key Chain

by ProteasAndKangaroos



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: Good Luck Reading This, I am hopeless, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-23 06:00:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProteasAndKangaroos/pseuds/ProteasAndKangaroos
Summary: Love is difficult with a wounded heart. But a flight ought to make it easier, right?





	1. Chapter 1

The music is blaring in the club but all David could hear is empty loneliness.  
  
David was never a big celebrator of his own birthday. In fact, he was that guy, oh you know, that guy who was never a massive enthusiast of birthdays in general. He could write a book on why getting a year older shouldn’t be such a joyous occasion, but recent times with someone had him started to look at such times as reasons to be happy, to raise a glass and to have a lot more cheerful outlook at life.  
  
But the cheer was soon becoming a whisper, the faintest of sounds at that. He would toss and turn each and every night for the past week or so trying to decipher what was it that he actually wanted. It was all sugary and gooey for him at first, just like in the movies, which of course tickled his bones more often than not. Unmusical songs and totally off the beat dances suddenly seemed too far away in the past, for things had started to get serious, and real. Too serious for David, who had never felt this way for someone, ever. He would be attracted to someone, their personality and their demeanour, only to watch it fade into something monotonous and frankly, boring. Being in their company would become like dragging his excessively heavy cricket kit everywhere they went. He didn’t want to spend so much as a month with them after the first date, although there had been a couple of exceptions. But it had been just over a month now (also, not a fan of monthly anniversary), his longest successful relationship, yet. And that innocent excitement which came with thinking of him, hearing his name, and the one which had the most powerful impact on him, looking into his blue eyes.  
  
“DAVID, IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY LIL BRO!!”, AB shouted a little too loudly directly into David’s ears which broke David’s “day” dream. David, however, was amused. He was used to see AB behave like a complete asshole when he had chugged down more than five cans, 2-3 shots and was now holding a huge, half-empty champagne bottle. He forced it to David’s lips and David had to swallow it a little quicker than desirable. AB finally let go of David’s arms, which he had held painfully tightly.  
  
“Seen the rest of them?”, asked AB, as if suffocating only one person with that giant vessel wasn’t satisfactory. David couldn’t care less and swirled his finger, apparently a definite direction for AB, who sped to his right, towards the washroom. “Leave the bottle,” David shouted from the back. “It’s my birthday.” “Of course,” AB said, doubling back, smacking his forehead and handed over the decanter to David. He turned yet again to another 360 degrees and shook David with his hands shouting “It’s your birthday!!”  
  
AB then stood right there as if he’d no clue anymore as to what was happening around for quite a while. “The washroom”, David reminded him when he saw AB’s blank face. “Oh yeah”, AB told, more to himself as if he had some ominous scheme in his mind. AB’s departure was soon followed by Dale’s slightest nudge to David’s shoulders.  
  
David was still smiling at AB’s antics, “AB”, he said, shaking his head in laughter. “Yeah, him”, Dale added, although his gaze seemed to be glued on David, expression unfathomable. David looked at Dale only now and offered the champagne. Dale nodded, bent forward and opened his mouth. David held the bottle to his face and Dale started swallowing almost in slow motion, letting David see his neck pulsate rhythmically. Something in David’s stomach twisted, but unlike most other times, it stopped just as quickly as it had started.  
  
That other exception was Dale.  
  
The fact that Dale took David took for granted was no Riddler for David to decode. Once he got him, Dale took no effort whatsoever to keep David in his life, as if it was David’s honour to drink a lot and end up be in Dale’s bed the next morning. Relationships were never meant to be competition, but David always felt like Dale was doing a favour by going out with him, that he was never good enough for him. No apologies for late replies, stood-up dates, off-hand digs, continuous texting in the middle of their conversations. David never wanted watches, cars or teddy bears, but the emotional availability which he believed to be a myth only until recent past. “That’s the best part of a man-to-man relationship, Dave! None of that sissy emotional crap.” Yes, that led to an enormous fight, and eventually their first break-up.  
  
Ever since, Dale conveniently fell in love with David and had changed overnight only when he saw signs that David was moving on from him. Most unfortunate was being stuck with him to maintain the group’s dynamics, which only made matters worse. David had ruined quite a few of his relationships because of Dale and it took him months to finally realise what was going on. Getting over Dale seemed impossible, it was just who he was. He had rugged looks, tattoos and most importantly, a highly dominant personality, the confidence that he owned everything and everyone. And poor David, in the pursuit of forgetting and replacing Dale, ended up having a string of disastrous relationships which left him with nothing but regret.  
  
But lately, it had been so much easier to forgive himself.  
  
“Are you expecting someone?”, Dale said, more like a sarcastic remark than a question. He was leaning on the bar-table facing David, casually displaying him his well-toned body in a fairly translucent and body-hugging white t-shirt. The club lights played tricks that accentuated his abs. Only Dale could look so hot in such a simple tee, David thought to himself. And there again, he was able to keep a straight head in spite of the momentary lapses. “Why would you ask?”, David asked. Dale smirked, saying, “Before AB jerked you off…” “Don’t say that”, David interrupted him. “What? Well, he is not half bad.” Dale failed to stifle his smug laugh at his comment. David shook his head vigorously, trying hard not to picturize AB in bed, who in deed was like his elder brother. Dale continued, “Before that… I was seeing you see your watch to the door for the past half an hour.”  
“You have been looking at me for the past half an hour?”  
  
“It’s difficult not to look at you.”  
  
David made that “phhehehh” noise with his tongue. Any other day of any other week, this line coming from Dale with the way he looked that night would’ve floored him (yes, he wasn’t proud of himself). But not now, at least not for a while. Dale admittedly looked shocked. “I thought you liked all this cheesy shit,” Dale said, trying not to sound too scandalised. “I don’t. I like the person from which it comes,” David answered, forming a mental picture of him saying a dialogue from a God-knows-what rom-com.  
  
“Oh, David. Don’t you think you’d rather be with someone who is with you on your birthdays and stuff and not busy somewhere halfway across the world? Has the skyping ever been close to what can be the real thing? Don’t you want that…” Dale came closer, sliding his palm seductively on David’s bulging bicep… “That closeness, that intimacy, that … friction?”  
  
Too close, too close, these words flashed in David’s inner eye like traffic lights and the brain siren went off, deafening him. He was looking the floor all this while, now slowly tilted his head up and locked eyes with Dale. Dale surely knew the art of hypnotism, alluring David to lean closer. It was only uphill when the sincerity in Dale’s voice and the honesty in his eyes did not co-ordinate with the cruelty of his intentions. And then, out of nowhere, that siren was replaced by an infectious laughter, echoing as though the source was right in front of him. David blinked furiously, making sure it was still Dale, who looked entirely bewildered, frozen leaning towards him with lips in a subtle pout.  
  
David snapped his head directly in front of him in a way people usually do when they hear a sudden sound in horror movies, and took a deep breath. Dale’s shoulders drooped, hardly able to believe someone had turned down the chance to make out with him at the minimum. He looked at the direction of the doors and disbelief soon transformed into anger and frustration. The reason behind this flop show was standing there, with almost the same expression, only a lot more heartbroken.  
  
The figure came towards the two ex-lovers a little too desperately, pushing and stepping on the legs of the dancing crowd in the distance. His eyes travelled from Dale to David, who seemed to be completely clueless of his arrival. Dale hid the look of disgust under an uncharacteristically passive face and understood the que that he must leave, for he could not see the extension of his turned-down offer.  
  
“Dale.”  
  
“Glenn.”  
  
Glenn’s raspy voice snapped David back to his surroundings who couldn’t quite believe what he just heard. Dale’s reply did confirm that David wasn’t the only one to see Glenn Maxwell standing right next to him. He stood up to see Glenn face to face when Dale had left their company, who was already being approached by a handsome, young man. David wore an extremely confused expression, his mind wondering whether he should be happy to see and wanting to kiss this stupid, pretty face or angry that this stupid, pretty face had ghosted him for about a week.  
  
But Glenn, whose expression switched to a broad grin from whatever it was a few moments, knew exactly what he felt. He flung his arms on David’s shoulders and kissed him deeply. It had been two weeks since they shared any sort of physical embrace and Glenn didn’t wish to waste even a second on holding back. David smiled against his lips, forgetting every bitter resentment and inhibition he had been harbouring all at once, which made Glenn kiss him even harder. David had slid his arms on Glenn’s waist and gladly reciprocated.  
  
It had aroused both men and they broke off, not because they didn’t want to do it right there on the bar-table, but because they wanted to have an eyeful of the happiness and anticipation in each other’s eyes. Glenn brought his hand to David’s face, brushing his blonde, sunlight like hair and bring it back to David’s cheek. He looked at him speechlessly, the look that comes when someone considers the other as their whole, wide world.  
  
AB reappeared between them creepily which startled both men. “Oooooohhhhhhh….”, AB said, sounding like those alien toys in the Toy Story franchise. AB smirked from Glenn to David. David knew what he was thinking. “AB, no. You can’t watch.” “Oh, man!”, AB sighed. It was difficult to judge that AB was now a married man for a bit over a year. “Someone told me you’re good in bed. I could use a thing or two…”, “FAF!!!”, David shouted at the top of his voice to summon AB’s husband. Faf came so fast that saying he teleported there wouldn’t be entirely wrong. He gave an indignant look at David as if he was the one crossing all boundaries before turning to peck on AB’s cheek. David and Faf seemed to have the telepathic conversation where David wanted AB to be anywhere but in an 8-mile radius of him. Faf swung his hand on AB and took him out before AB screamed, “Dave, it’s your birthday. He’s gonna gift you gin… MORE THAN ONCE.” David and Faf shared another look before returning their attention to their respective companies.  
  
“Is he gonna be okay?” Glenn asked, genuinely concerned about AB. “It’s Faf that I’m worried about. Last time when AB was this drunk, he, well. Look at that, I’m not worried about Faf anymore… I’m terrified.” AB seemed to singing a discordant tune for Faf and tried to make out with him while constantly aiming for everything of Faf’s face except his lips.  
  
“You could wish me, you know,” David said, almost impatiently. Glenn burst out laughing, throwing his head back like a little kid. THAT. David secretly wished he was a comedian who constantly made jokes only to see Glenn laugh, to hear Glenn laugh. Although he knew his comment would lead to too many jokes running around Glenn’s head, and even hearing them in his own head would definitely crack him up. Glenn was breathless already with the make-out session they shared a few minutes ago, and the laugh riot made his eyes water. “Since when did you become a man of birthdays?”, Glenn asked, wiping a tear or two from his eyes. Before David could reply, Glenn started mimicking David, “I don’t like birthdays. It’s for kids, it’s stupid. I honestly don’t want people telling me I’m a year older already and closer to 30.” David raised his hand to stop Glenn from continuing, but Glenn had just gotten started.  
  
“Live from Durban, South Africa. A man who claims to be David Miller, renowned birthday and anniversary antagonist seems to have sustained a misplaced identity, asking on his own to be wished on his birthday,” Glenn said, with an impeccable impersonation of a journalist. “Some sources claim that it is an aftermath of living a quarter-century. Others have blatantly released that this might be a case of duplicity of the mood-killer Miller (David rolled his eyes). Who is behind this heinous crime? Where is he? AND WHAT WILL BE HIS NEXT MOVE?”  
  
“Okay, that’s it…”, David said, trying to be imperative while catching his breath, absolutely negating the net result. “Come on! One more… please!!”, Glenn pleaded. “No,” David finally successful in making it sound like order, even though he had a smile plastered across the width of his face. “This is that 4 months’ time when we both have the same age, you know, considering the number of years…” “That is not a thing…”, David said, shaking his head, folding his hands, more to comfort his aching stomach from all the laughing. “Yes, it is… I am 25 now… and since last night, so are you.” “Yeah, just… “, David started, not knowing if anything could be stupider than that.  
  
“Oh, give it a rest, I know you don’t have a comeback. Round 1: Maxwell,” Glenn stated, adding a bell noise at the end. “Fine, well played,” David remarked, raising his hands in faux surrender. He was a little exhausted from the day, this was his 5th party, and he wanted Glenn all to himself. What the hell, David thought. Glenn would want the same thing after a long flight, right? Before David could voice his thought, Glenn asked if they could get out of the club. David sprang to his feet and rushed to the exit.  
  
“You know, I would’ve been an hour earlier,” Glenn stated once the beats of the song being played in the club were faint and faded further away. “The Uber took me some other place, maybe I mispronounced the name or something. The way he kept on driving, I thought I’d be off to Mars. Look,” Glenn showed the kilometres covered in the ride, which seemed to be a whole tour of the city. “Do you know,” David halted, mocking deep consideration. “This would be a good alibi in case you get framed for a crime,” David suggested. “I KNOW,” Glenn looked almost too proud. David shook his head, smiling and continued walking.  
  
“Hold on. How did you know I was here?”, David asked, starting to join all the dots in his head.  
  
“Uhm… Uhh… The thing is… “


	2. Key Chain

Glenn didn’t know how to answer that, he felt flustered. He didn’t want David to get the wrong impression of him, but he couldn’t lie to him either. “I kept checking Faf’s location on Facebook. He uploaded every place you went to. Soon he figured out what I was doing, and told me he would hold off you guys from going anywhere else till I got there.” Glenn spoke like a kid who was telling his mother the story of how the cookie jar was suddenly empty. “Dobler or Dahmer?”, he asked, holding both his hands to his mouth. “Let me think,” David teased, pretending to give it a thought, only to torment Glenn but hardly containing his smirk. “Ahhh… you…”, Glenn followed it with another cry of frustration. David laughed, and said, “You will always be my Dobler,” pulling Glenn’s cheek.

The couple walked a bit further way from the club, a lot quieter and peaceful now, where they could hear each other’s breaths.

“I’m sorry that I lied to you… I had this stupid idea that it’d be a surprise for you if I told that I won’t be able to meet you and then actually show up just like that.”

“You don’t have to,” David replied, even though he was glad for that apology. There, was it that hard to say sorry? “No, seriously, how’d you manage to be on a plane for so long without me finding out about it?” David asked, truly puzzled. “Oh, I had it all figured out. I had to keep pretending like I’m busy all week, so you wouldn’t get suspicious if I disappeared for a day. Finchy kept telling me it was a stupid plan and it will make things worst… I hope he wasn’t right,” Glenn added the last line with a slightly drooping face.

“Oh, no. I am glad to see you anyway. But I’d rather you didn’t repeat this again, it makes me suspicious about other things,” David didn’t elaborate what he meant by that. He did have thoughts that Glenn was maybe getting too bored of their relationship, that he was done with what they had. “What?” David asked Glenn when he opened his mouth and shook as if he changed his mind about talking it out loud. David raised his eyebrow, knowing that Glenn was refraining from something to which Glenn finally said, “It’s repeat again… You don’t use them together. It’s just repeat.”

“Probeer om meer as een taal te praat.”

“Alright, alright. Curse me all you want in Zulu.”

“It was Afrikaans.”

Glenn rolled his eyes, although smiling at David. He adored David’s South African-ness. He adored absolutely everything about the man who stood in front of him. He almost forgot what was the main reason he wanted David here, why he flew half-way across the world. “Oh, yes,” Glenn said with a start. He fiddled for something in his pocket for something and took out a badly wrapped gift. It looked a ball of crumbled of gift-wrapping paper. “Here, happy birthday.”

David couldn’t help but chuckle at Glenn’s gift-wrapping skills. He was never a good folder, packer and arranger of things. He loved that Glenn had taken an effort this, but he ended up blurting out, “What, were you riding a horse?” “Oh, you’re gonna open it anyway. Just… just... okay?”, Glenn added impatiently, jumping on the balls of his feet. David took no time in opening the wrapping, he knew the weak spot of such things, a snap of a finger, with such poor packing at that. David glanced at Glenn before taking his gift out in his hand. It was a key chain with something inscribed on it, and David started reading it:

“’My presence shall go with thee’ Ex. 33:14

“’For my strength is made perfect in weakness’ 2 Cor. 12:9”

David felt his throat go dry and eyes welling up. This perfectly summarised their relationship, he thought to himself. Distance couldn’t keep these two hearts apart. It seemed to be blessed and strengthened by something so much more powerful than themselves, God himself perhaps.

“Do you like it?”

David looked at Glenn, he seemed to be having second thoughts about his simple gift, David stepped towards him and kissed him deeply. He felt Glenn’s lips curving into a smile. He pulled a little and answered, “I love it. I love it so much.” He gave Glenn a quick peck before pulling his car-keys and headed towards the parking lot. He started rigging his new beloved possession on the car’s custom one. It only made sense, David loved cars and David loved Glenn.

“David”

“Yeah?”

“Uhm… Nothing.”

David turned around with his brow already raised. It soon switched into a sympathy-frown when he saw Glenn standing with red eyes. Oh, no, is he breaking up with me? He was just being nice and wanted a happy ending? The gift made sense for parting ways, too. Too many thoughts circled David’s head like a tornado. If someone looked at David’s face right then wouldn’t have the slightest of clues that so many musings ran around his head. He had an ideal posture, standing still and breathing normally. It was the heartbeat that would give it away. He managed to muster all the calmness and nerve he could, for his hands felt numb and said, “Say it, Glenn. Don’t think it would spoil my birthday. I’ve had worse.” “Like the one with the …?”, Glenn asked, managing a smile with that face which was seconds away from bursting into tears. “Dont’ complete the sentence,” David said, indignantly. 

“It could wait another,” Glenn looked at his watch and looked back,”40 minutes.”

“Glenn…”

Glenn took a deep breath, knowing David wouldn’t let up. Trying his best not to break down, he finally spoke.

“Why didn’t you kiss him?”

David took some time to understand what or who Glenn was referring to. This undoubtedly was a relief. But a new consideration sprang to his head, he was so busy thinking that Glenn would break his heart that he hadn’t realise until then that he could hurt Glenn just as badly, that he himself would be the one who would ruin what they had. David felt guilty of putting Glenn through that. “I think you know. That’s a shut door.”

“Oh… okay,” Glenn added, sounded dejected, as though it wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “Glenn, I… “, David followed up quickly, knowing what it was. Glenn interrupted, “No, no… I don’t want you to say it just to make me feel better. You don’t have to…”

“Glenn, I love you.”

Glenn looked at David with relieved disbelief. He heard the words he had been dying to hear ever since he said them to him, right about the fourth time. He pretty much blurted it out that he loved David on their first date itself, but that was something he felt two weeks earlier already, ever since he saw David playing with a kid at a fan-meet early into the IPL. His smile, his kindness, his dedication, how he made everyone feel liked and loved. “I wish I could take all this rain back home,” Glenn recalled David’s statement fondly, the night they stayed up and watched the rain fall, the night it all began for Glenn, looking at David the way he looked at the thunder storm. 

But soon it turned into a fear that David was probably not as smitten by him as he was by Dave. He had had break-ups whenever things were about to get serious. He had loved and was never loved back. But something about David told him that if David would leave him, it would destroy him completely. It seemed logical to Glenn not to readily dive on cloud 9 when he heard David say he loved him, to not have false sense of accomplishment and double the hurt he would get inevitably, in fear that David was just saying it.

“I know you think I am just saying it. I’m not. I know I said that … I hated the concept of love at first sight. But that was before I saw you. Yeah, I lied, I’m sorry,” David added, scratching his neck, when Glenn raised his eyebrows, “I didn’t want to scare you off. Things always get messy for me whenever they get serious. And I couldn’t bear to lose you, I was sooooo smitten by you. It’s the way you do everything. The way you flirted with Preity, I was a bit jealous in the beginning I’ll admit. But I know she hates getting hit on, and you made her blush and smile and laugh more times than not. The way you talk to me, about your family and friends, about your country and hometown, about love. The way you laugh, God, especially before sharing a joke you formed in your head. The way I can be so free to be myself when I’m around you. The way you’ve been the rain in my life… I just … I wish I could make you as happy as you make me…”

David took a deep breath after confessing, it felt like fresh air, liberating and exuberant. He had told he loved someone (guess who) only one other time in his life before this, but he knew, even then, that it had been the most wrong of I Love you’s. This was the exact opposite, he wondered why he had waited so long. Every word he had uttered seconds ago was true and he could’ve, would’ve, should’ve said them if only he trusted his heart more. Nonetheless, these trapped words were out in the open air, still echoing in David’s inner ear. He looked on at Glenn nervously, hoping against hope that he would accept the words for what they were, true and straight out of his heart.

Glenn seemed to take a moment or two to process David’s love speech. He was deeply touched. All this time, he had happily assumed that he was the hopelessly-in-love one in their relationship. He had accepted long ago that David was a stretch out of his league, mature and stable, moreover surrounded by way too many worthy candidates who didn’t make Yoda impersonations every second of the day. And how could all this possibly be false? If David had to lie and toy with his feelings, he would’ve done so from the beginning itself. Why did he wait until now? Logic had a place in love, he remembered David saying it once, and although both men had burst out laughing at that statement, he could see it was true for himself now.

David grew gradually impatient. It was commendable how he had been so quiet all the while, giving Glenn enough recovery time. But the voices in his head were turning on their volumes louder by the minute. Finally, what felt like a billion years, Glenn looked up, tears of joy streaming down his face and the widest grin David had ever seen on his face. “I reckon you said ‘The way’ five or six times…” David raised his hand and put it on Glenn’s shoulder and kissed him again, this time slow and steady. He pulled out and asked Glenn whether he wanted to go to David’s house. Glenn smiled in reply, and followed David to his car (which he was sober enough to drive, fyi).

Love was definitely in the air, and so was anticipation. Without realising, David went on a little too fast for the speed limit. “Whoa, slow down!”, Glenn warned, even though he was just as painfully restless to get into bed with him as well. “Relax, they only pull you over if it’s plus five or above.” David informed, “I’ve heard from other people, that is,” he quickly added before Glenn could ask about his being-pulled-over record.

David parked his car in a haphazardly because it was hard to think anymore when Glenn was sitting right in front of him. His beard was back (yay) and David prayed that he may never shave it off completely again.

“Glenn,” David called suddenly, rather in a worried tone. “Where’s your luggage?”

“Oh, fuck!”

Glenn had left his bag at the airport.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a fanfic(more so, I had what it takes to publish it). I have based those two knuckleheads on the two sides of me- goofy romantic and skeptical logician, which they seem to be, kinda. Also, I cursed myself for villianizing my sweet sunflower Dale, but he gives those vibes now, doesn't he? (Aahhhh, you). I hope you like and constructive criticism is of course welcome!


End file.
